


Sunlight in the Windows

by Lightheaded_Dullahan



Series: Yanderes And Their Suns [5]
Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comedy, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, chapter 4 gets kinda dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2019-11-29 04:42:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18218363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightheaded_Dullahan/pseuds/Lightheaded_Dullahan
Summary: In the window was a sign that said Help Wanted. Surya took a closer look, he had still yet to find a job. After so many times of being fired only a week after being hired Surya had almost completely given up on applying anywhere. But, it wouldn’t hurt to try just one more time would it? Even if Indra said he wasn’t a burden, part of him wanted to get back out and work. He enjoyed sharing his cooking with people. Not only that but, this place looked very homely. If he knew anything about cooking, he knew how to make a home-cooked meal.





	1. Fish Ball Soup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting my name with this series.

Surya looked through the fish section. He had already collected everything else for dinner that he didn’t already have at home. Despite that card- that terrifying black card he would never use, he still had to be cautious on how much he spent. He needed enough to make 40 fish balls for everyone to have a serving, though depending on how hungry they would be he should get enough for double that. Even if he didn’t use the extra that night, he could use it for another upcoming meal. Perhaps tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.

His eyes hovered over the white fish. He knew the store had an astounding stock of fish, and the cod looked very good this week. However, Surya isn’t sure if he has enough money for how much he needs. Pulling out his rubber band wad of bills, and checking that the card hadn’t fallen out, he quickly counted how much he needed for the cod. Counting on his fingers, he smiled. He had just enough. He asked the worker to pack up some fish for him, who had been waiting as he looked through the selection.

With bags in hand, Surya left the supermarket. He was almost scared the tax would push it over his available money. Luckily he had miscalculated and overestimated the amount he needed. This left him with a nice 5 dollar bill still tucked away in his pocket. It wasn’t much but even after all this time, it was enough to put a smile on his face. 

He decided to take a longer route than usual, but it wouldn’t take him more than 20 minutes to get back home this way. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a restaurant he hadn’t seen before. It stood out, ironically, because of how hidden it seemed to be. Had he not been so familiar with the area he would have thought it was an apartment building. It must have been rather recently opened. Though he wasn’t down this street often, it could have been there longer than he thought. 

In the window was a sign that said Help Wanted. Surya took a closer look, he had still yet to find a job. After so many times of being fired only a week after being hired Surya had almost completely given up on applying anywhere. But, it wouldn’t hurt to try just one more time would it? Even if Indra said he wasn’t a burden, part of him wanted to get back out and work. He enjoyed sharing his cooking with people. Not only that but, this place looked very homely. If he knew anything about cooking, he knew how to make a home-cooked meal. 

_Teague_. The name was written by hand in neat, sharp handwriting. Surya had no idea how to pronounce the word, it looked foreign. He kept the name in mind though. Tomorrow, if the sign was still up, then he would apply. He might as well give it a try. It wasn’t like he had much to do anyway.

 

“Good evening papa-ue.”

“Welcome home! Dinner should be ready in half an hour.”

Karna, Arjuna, and Raikou all returned home together as per usual. Raikou had broken off from her group to walked home with her older brothers, even if it was the last 10 minutes of the walk. Almost like a routine, all of them came into the kitchen with a slight want to help with dinner. Surya told them to start on their homework, and to wash up when he called out that dinner was ready. 

He brought the large soup pot- a high quality and expensive one, filled with water. Bringing it to a boil, he added smashed and small cut up ginger to the pot. Turning down the heat, he gently placed the fish balls into the water. The small handmade fish balls bobbed in the water as they bumped into one another. The heat was turned up again until it was boiling, then returned to the low heat. It was 20 minutes of the fish balls simmering and bumping into one another like soft bumper cars before he could continue. 

During that time, he answered what questions he could when Raikou came for some help with her homework. Not so secretly, he knew Karna and Arjuna were waiting for her to come back with the answers. She had all the questions they had, better to ask in one sitting rather than multiple in her opinion. 

Surya turned up the heat once again and added the dried seaweed into the pot. Another two minutes passed, in which Indra returned home and sat down at the table. Karna, Arjuna, and Raikou came in right after him. Each one of them took their usual set. Arjuna next to Karna, Raikou next to Arjuna, Surya’s unused seat next to Raikou, and Indra next to Surya. He added the seasoning and garnishes, quickly filling everyone’s bowl’s with the speed and grace, not unlike a swan swimming. 

Placing each dish in front of each person at the table, Surya sat down to begin to eat. Indra, in that way he had, made Surya nearly choke on his spoonful with his compliment to his cooking. That’s what he said it was. But no compliment should be said in a whisper like that in front of their kids. Raikou hummed in delight as she ate, saying something about wanting to share this with Kintoki. Karna agreed, saying that Emiya would most likely enjoy this recipe. This elicited a cloud of unhappiness from Arjuna, who began to glare at his bowl. 

“Ah, do you want more?”

The 1st year is unable to stop Karna before he poured what he still had in his bowl into Arjuna’s. Very quickly, the cloud of unhappiness went away and replaced by Arjuna quietly eating his meal. Karna looked happy at this, to which Indra teased the middle child about. The glare returned, only this time directed at Indra. He smiled and continued his teasing, with Raikou contributing to a few teases herself. Karna didn’t make it any better by bluntly confirming the teases. Surya covered his mouth, chuckling would simply make things even worse. Arjuna, in almost comic desperation, kept trying to defend himself. 

Smiling fondly, Surya finished his bowl. This was one of his favorite things about cooking. He remembered how when he worked, the customers would act similarly. Enjoying the food with smiles on their faces. Families teasing one another, friends laughing together, couples enjoying their date. He missed seeing that. He loved cooking for his family, that was certainly true and it wouldn’t trade it for the world. But, they were older now. Planning for the future, a future coming all too soon. Then, who could he cook for? There was Indra for sure, but he would miss the full table of laughter and teasing. He couldn’t make his kids come home all the time for dinner. They would have jobs and their own responsibilities. 

It was that night, as he laid down to sleep after washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen area, that he decided he would apply the next day. He wanted to make other people happy like he made his family happy. He went to sleep with a determined look on his face and Indra’s arms wrapped around him. 

 

The restaurant wasn’t open yet when he arrived the next day. He could see two people already in there, setting up for the day. Taking a breath, he knocked on the window. One of the workers opened the door, telling him they aren’t open yet. 

“I’m here for the job.”

The golden-eyed man looked a little surprised but opened the door for him to enter. The other man was moving chairs into groups of 2, 4, and 6 with a few booths along the side of the restaurant. It was larger than he thought, a little hidden door that opened to something bigger than just a little apartment. Looks could be deceiving. The golden-eyed man brought him to the kitchen and gave him an odd interview. 

“If you’re here to be a cook, then prove you can cook.”

It almost takes Surya off guard, but he nods and looks through his ingredients available. He gathers the prep materials and ingredients, noting where he got them and how much he would need to use. He preheated the grill at medium heat and washed his hands thoroughly. 

In a bowl, he added ⅓ cup of mustard, ¼ cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, and a teaspoon of steak sauce. He mixed it together as the grill heated up. In a small container, he set aside a portion of the mixture aside for later. In the larger bowl, he dipped each of the four boneless chicken breast halves into the mix to coat the meat nicely. 

Using the grill grate already attached to the grill, he began to grill the chicken. Turning it over and basting it with the portion of the mix he had saved, he ignored the feeling of eyes boring down on him. Looking carefully when he turned the chicken over to ensure there was no burning he kept an internal clock on how long he should keep them on. When the juices finally ran clear, he turned off the grill. Using the grill spatula, he lifted the four pieces of chicken onto a plate. 

Giving it to the blue-haired man, who he was certain had been watching him like a hawk as he cooked, the other man came over and took a bite himself. The other man almost immediately completed the dish, taking another bite after he finished. The blue-haired man took a bite himself. He didn’t say anything as he ate. 

Surya was nervous. He hadn’t cooked for someone outside of his family for a long time. Had he become too accustomed to their tastes that he couldn’t cook for other people anymore? He hoped not, that would be a blow he couldn’t prepare for. 

“What’s your name?”

“Surya, sir.”

“How soon can you come in?”

“Tomorrow would be best, but I can start today if you need me to.”

The man smiled. A smile that reminded him of Indra in a way. 

“Then I expect you here bright and early tomorrow. Don’t be late.” 

It took a moment for it to sink in. He got the job. He had a job again. He smiled brightly and thanked the man, who brushed it off and went back to setting up the shop. The other man held out a hand before he left. 

“Watson,” he introduced himself, “the other man is Holmes. He requires some getting used to, I hope he didn’t creep you out with the staring. He likes to observe.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s nice to meet you. He’s not the weirdest person I’ve met.”

“Haha, you say that now.”

 

When he returned home, Indra was in the kitchen drinking his coffee. Surya walked up to him with a large smile on his face. His husband raised an eyebrow. 

“What has you so happy this morning?”

“I got a job! Isn’t that great!”

“Oh. That’s fantastic dear.”

 

 _This is a nightmare_ , Indra thought silently to himself as he smiled like he was happy Surya found a job again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet you weren't expecting them to be the owners either.


	2. A Study in Charlotte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“I got a job!”_
> 
> _Karna had sat up straight in shock, knocking Arjuna’s head off his shoulder. The movement didn’t seem to wake the groggy teen until he noticed his downward descent into the table. He pushed himself back away from the approaching table, only the grab onto the edge as he felt his chair tip over. Raikou dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clang that echoed in the silent room. Even Indra, who knew about it for a full day, choked slightly on his coffee._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think of something witty here later

When Surya awoke the next morning, he had a jump in his step he hadn’t had in years. He was up before dawn and already in the kitchen before Indra could drag him back to bed. Had he not been so determined for the day, he might have noticed the confused look on Indra’s face. When the children- though only Raikou could still really be called that, arrived downstairs, Surya put down their breakfast in front of them. Indra sat down with a perplexed expression to match theirs. Surya seemed just a little too energetic this morning. He hadn’t said anything that would indicate this last night. Not to the kids anyway.

“What’s making you so happy papa? Oh! Are we getting a new sibling? Are they a girl? Can I name her!”

“Haha, oh it’s nothing like that.”

Raikou huffed, disappointed it wasn’t a new sibling. Karna ate his meal silently as Arjuna groggily leaned his head on the other’s shoulder. He had stayed up late doing homework, or at least Surya thought it was homework. Most likely math with all those calculations he was doing. 

“I got a job!”

Karna had sat up straight in shock, knocking Arjuna’s head off his shoulder. The movement didn’t seem to wake the groggy teen until he noticed his downward descent into the table. He pushed himself back away from the approaching table, only the grab onto the edge as he felt his chair tip over. Raikou dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clang that echoed in the silent room. Even Indra, who knew about it for a full day, choked slightly on his coffee. 

“That’s great papa-ue.”

Surya’s happiness was contagious, even Karna was smiling once the news set in. Raikou was asking questions rapid-fire, each one being asked faster than the one before. Arjuna simply congratulated him, filling his mouth with food so he didn’t have to do anything more. Indra- despite his encouraging smile, was fuming on the inside. 

 

“Good morning!”

“That’s infectiously exciting. Watson, why can’t you be like that?”

A rag hit Holmes straight in the face. Surya was tossed, with far less aggression, a uniform to change into. He made his way to the employee bathroom as the other two finished setting up. When he exited, feeling almost giddy in a uniform after all these years, Watson handed him a time table with his hours. 11 AM to 8:30 PM on weekdays, with weekends being an optional 12 to 9 PM. He questioned the reason for it being optional on the weekends, to which the man said the weekends weren’t concrete for them being open so if he didn’t want to come in he just had to call in.

It was only 8 AM when he arrived, giving him some time to get accustomed to the menu. He was familiar with many of the recipes and could always practice at home if he was unsure with a recipe. There was something familiar about the recipes though, specifically their names. Surya shrugged, it was likely he had simply heard them before somewhere. He washed his hands again, getting ready to decorate the cakes for when they were ordered. 

 

A Study in Charlotte was the name attributed to the dish on the menu, a one day a week item. Watson had made the cakes last night, as he did every Thursday night so the cakes would be available for Friday. Apparently, Watson was the one in charge of cooking as, and Surya would quote, ‘ _Holmes’ idea of following a recipe is ignoring the recipe and seeing what sticks regardless on if it was even the same thing as he originally said he was cooking_ ’. Good for a homecooked surprise, but not good for a restaurant. 

One the first cake, Watson showed him how to decorate the charlotte russe cake. It was supposed to be ‘smothered in red’ as his coworker put it. The extra whipped cream onto was lightly colored pink, with cut strawberries placed on top of it and full raspberries were set around the bottom. And added effect, he used more syrup to be dripped over the sides like rain dripping down a window. Surya nodded when he was asked if he knew how to do it now. He was a quick learner. 

 

When the customers started filling in, Surya watched in between cooking orders how the duo worked. Despite their differences- Watson’s gentlemanly service vs Holmes’ bohemian service, they worked like a well-oiled machine. If one side was too full, the other would swoop in and out to take care of the overflow. Really, even when it was full it still felt like it was almost empty with how efficiently they worked.

“Surya, switch out.”

“I’m almost done with the dish.”

 

Across the street, Indra watched through a window in annoyance. He drank his drink in the grumpiest way possible as if he was some 8-year-old who got his toy taken away. Merlin wasn’t helping with his commentary. 

“Oh would you look at that, he’s already popular.”

_Sip._

“Especially with those teenagers.”

_Sip._

“Definitely that group of girls near the window.”

_Siiip._

“Well, she’s going places. She managed to give him her number before even the check came around-”

Merlin nearly fell out of his chair when Indra slapped the back of his head, sending his head forward to crash into his binoculars. He whined on how rude his friend was and rubbed his eyes as some tears formed. That had really hurt. The white-haired man looked through the binoculars again.

“Now she’s unbuttoned her shirt to see if he notices.”

The cup Indra was drinking from fell to the floor and shattered. In his hand, more like around his finger, was the handle of the cup. One could see the steam start to rise off the man. Honestly, it was scaring the other customers. There was a tap on the man’s shoulder. 

“Sir, you’re disturbing the other customers.”

“Ehaha, he’s just jealous some people are flirting with his wife at work.”

“Oh, over there? At that shop?”

Something about that tone made Indra look over to the owner. That was too similar to his own tone in this situation. Did he dislike the other shop that much? It couldn’t be because his wife was working there, that would be creepy. Did he dislike the owners perhaps?

“Ahem, I can’t help but notice you glaring at my rival’s shop like you want it to burn to the ground.”

“Don’t be ridicu-”

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t like some assistance in getting your wife back home then.”

Indra paused. While not for the same reason, this man wanted to get rid of that shop. If that shop was gotten rid of, Surya would be back home and Indra could possibly have a new connection. This...didn’t sound like a bad idea.

“What are you suggesting?”

“A partnership of sorts. You get your wife and I get to see my rival burn. Possibly literally but figuratively works as well.”

“Who are you?”

“Just a not at all shady-looking man of fifty or so.”

This was exactly the type of person Indra worked with normally. Shady people. Very shady people. This would just be another case. Except, this time, Indra wasn’t the one helping someone hide nefarious deeds.

Merlin rolled his eyes at the two. Both Indra and Moriarty were complete drama queens. But so was Merlin so he might as join in the fun. After all, unlike them, he had plenty of time on his hands. 

 

That and he would get free food from this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for a game, who will end up worse? Indra, Moriarty, or Merlin. 
> 
>  
> 
> There are no wrong answers.


	3. Speckled Flan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _It had been a full year. 12 entire months. 52 weeks in total. A whole 365 days. 8760 hours in the hole. 525,960 minutes on the clock. 31,557,600 seconds down the drain. Not that Indra had been counting. No, he had been planning._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was half finished since the second chapter.

It had been a full year. 12 entire months. 52 weeks in total. A whole 365 days. 8760 hours in the hole. 525,960 minutes on the clock. 31,557,600 seconds down the drain. Not that Indra had been counting. No, he had been planning. 

The first week had passed. He recalled how jittery Surya had become. The previous experiences had made him nervous. Indra had tried to find something, anything to get the shop shut down. Somehow, however, there was absolutely nothing he could use. It was in top shape for health inspections. All the appliances were up to date and regularly checked. There was no abuse of employees in any way. Everything was completely legal. It enraged Indra. He had faced his first roadblock in years. Surya’s excitement after the first week hadn’t helped either. 

It was then Indra knew he would need more drastic measures. 

 

**Plan 1: Merlin’s Infiltration**

Merlin simply had to be in the restaurant and see what happened. Find anything incriminating and bring it back to be used. So simple a child could do it. And yet, Merlin managed to mess it up. 

“So, what did you find?”

“Watson’s been doing better than ever!”

“What did you find that is relevant?”

“...Watson’s been doing better than ever?”

“You had one job. One job.”

“In my defense, he is a friend. It’s not like he’s Holmes, Moriarty. ”

The second attempt of the plan seemed to be more successful. He had gotten Surya as a server. Indra’s silent lamenting at that was ignored. When he returned, somehow it was worse than the first time.

“What did you discover?”

“Watson got his medical license back! Isn’t that great?”

“You were being served by Surya, how on earth did you find that out?”

“I asked.”

The third and final time- as this was the last failure Indra was taking from Merlin, he managed to actually come back with some new information. Sadly, still not relevant. 

“Holmes said to give you this.”

“Hm? What is it-” The card exploded into confetti once Moriarty opened it, “DAMN THAT HOLMES!”

“You’re both useless here!”

 

**Plan 2: The Family Outing**

This plan was a different type of plan. He would bring the kids to the restaurant and convenience them that Surya would be happier back home. Sure it was manipulative- very manipulative, but that was the norm in his kind of business. And it wasn’t like Surya could ever say no to the kids. 

“Wha! We have to pay for mama’s food?” 

Raikou frowned at the menu in her hand. They could get Surya’s cooking for free at home. Why would they pay for it? That was stupid. The middle schooler huffed and crossed her arms, leaving it on the table as she pouted. Behind his menu, Indra smirked. One kid down. 

“It’s not only papa-ue’s food but also the other cook’s food. If you don’t pay for one cook, then it’s not fair.”

“But mama can just cook at home…”

“He likes cooking for everyone, so his choice in being a cook again is his. He still comes home for dinner and makes breakfast.”

“But he’s not around as much as before.”

“They probably have an option for part-timers if you want to spend more time with him.”

Arjuna’s addition to the conversation sent a small feeling of dread through Indra. Of course, Karna would be accepting of the change, he always was. Arjuna would be fine as long as his own agenda was fulfilled and sadly that did not align with his own. Yet Raikou was leverage he could use, but if they changed her mind he’d lose that leverage. Indra watched the girl’s expression, hopefully, she wouldn’t abandon her position so easily.

“How old do you have to be to do that?”

The older man adjusted his glasses, realizing he had lost his leverage with this plan. He might be able to turn this around. If he could prove Surya would be happier at home, he could sway their opinion over to his side. But how would he-

“Hello, are you ready to order?”

“Merlin?”

“No, I am Mycroft.” 

Indra narrowed his eyes. It was Merlin, no doubt. Granted he had a mustache. It looked very fake though. It had to be Merlin. No one else had hair like that. That backstabber, no wonder the first plan failed. 

 

**Plan 3: Bomb**

 

“Wait you want to do what?”

“Well, logically, if there isn’t a restaurant, then his wife can’t be working there.”

“Why do you even have a bomb?”

“Sometimes I use one to get out of parent-teacher conferences with the math teacher.”

Indra vetoed the idea almost immediately. He couldn’t risk Surya being there and getting blown up too. Even if he wasn’t there, the chance he gets hit with debris if he was on his way to work was too much. Not to mention that was too much paperwork to deal with. 

“Put it away, Moriarty.”

“Too late for that. The teacher wants another conference. I’ll be passing the mall on the way there, shall I pick something up?”

“Alchohol.”

“You’re in a bar.”

 

**Plan 4: Indra’s Spying**

 

Seeing how the other two plans had failed, and how Moriarty’s ideas were a bit too dangerous for his liking, Indra took this plan into his own hands. He was quite sure no one would recognize him in this disguise. It was almost lucky he hadn't gotten Surya as a server for the half month he had been spying here. He would very likely need to explain himself, and he would rather not do that. 

“Good afternoon, are you ready to order?”

“Just a Speckled Flan.”

“Do you want your wife too or are you just going to keep stalking?”

Indra choked on his drink. He looked at the server to see a pair of judging eyes looking at him. The silence between them was broken by the server speaking up again.

“Your son tipped us off.”

Indra was going to leave another zombie in Arjuna’s room again. 

 

 

Surya whipped down the final table as Watson stacked the chairs. Merlin, a part-timer who ate half the food he cooked so he was banned from the kitchen, was relegated to cleaning dishes and cleaning out the uneaten food. Holmes was busy counting the profits for the day. Surya wondered why they had closed an hour early that day, it was quite unexpected. There weren’t any problems he saw, but perhaps he had missed something. He brought it up with Watson as he finished with the chairs. 

“The cash register wouldn’t open so Holmes just closed up. He’s currently trying to break into it now.”

“..But don’t you have the key?”

“He’s determined to do it himself.”

The cook shook his head, it almost reminded of him of Indra. He could almost hear his boss grumbling over the cash register in the back. There was still a Study in Charlotte available, left over from the day where no one had purchased it. He asked if he could take it home since they wouldn’t be able to use it for the next week. As he got the okay, Merlin sent a look at the cake from where Surya couldn’t see. _Next time_ , he said to himself as he finished with his dish. 

Holmes burst out of the back room yelling to Watson they needed a new cash register. If he was able to break into it without the key, it wasn’t safe enough to use. Even if he wasn’t looking at him, Surya could feel the stare. He said his goodbyes as he packed away the cake into a box to leave, narrowly avoiding dropping it at Merlin’s out of nowhere goodbye right outside the restaurant. 

He entered the house and was greeted by Raikou throwing herself onto him for a hug, almost sending the cake flying from his hands. She asked him if he could show her how to make the Speckled Flan from the restaurant. Apparently, she wanted to bring it to a boy she liked. Raikou said she had to make it homemade though, or else it would seem weird to order something from a restaurant to give someone. 

“Let me out the cake down and I’ll show you.”

Entering the kitchen, Karna and Arjuna shuffled in the room and made their way to pick up a piece of the cake. As Surya poured the ¾ cup of sugar into the heavy saucepan to begin to cook it, he asked where Indra was. Arjuna simply said he was in his office, working on something in there. Once he poured the melted sugar into an ungreased round baking dish and set it aside for another 15 minutes, Raikou had finished beating the cream cheese until it was smooth as well as mixing into the five eggs, 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk, 12 ounces evaporated milk, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract as per Surya’s instructions. The sugar caramelized over and they poured the other mixed ingredients over it. Surya placed the dish into a larger baking pan before Karna poured an inch of boiling water into the larger pan. He added a few drops of vanilla to create spots in the flan. He set the timer for 55 minutes and placed the pan into the preheated oven. 

As they waited for the flan to cook, the four of them ate a little of the cake. When he asked what happened at school, Karna said very bluntly that the math teacher’s car had been blown up and they hadn’t found out what had been used or who planted it. Surya shakily nodded as he took another bite of his cake. Arjuna mumbled it always happened with that one kid in his class, it was the second time that month too. Raikou talked about the boy she met and wanted to give the flan to. 

“Ah, what is he like?”

“He’s younger than me, but I like him a lot. I’m going to adopt him.”

“Ha, but you can’t adopt someone at your age.”

“Of course I can, I’ve already announced I’m his mom to my friends.”

Surya mentally told himself to schedule a conference with the teachers, he worried about Raikou with that little proclamation. At least she was socializing mostly normally expect for that one little thing. To his knowledge at least. He hoped this was just a one-time thing, he didn’t think he was old enough to be a grandfather just yet. 

Once the timer went off, Surya removed the dish from the bigger pan and placed it on the wire rack to cool for an hour. He brought a plate of cake up to Indra’s office. The door was open as Indra was about to enter the room once more. Surya called out, holding the plate up to his husband. Indra smiled and took the plate, kissing him on the cheek as he went back into his office.

That night, as Surya was drifting to sleep after putting the cake away in the fridge, he heard Arjuna scream there was a zombie in his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have no idea if that will make spots in the flan, but it's in the name so now it does.


	4. Baker Street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“Oh, Surya, what kind of lunch did you bring in today?”_
> 
> _“Merlin you aren’t getting my lunch.”_
> 
> _“Pleeease?”_
> 
> _“No.”_
> 
> _“Raikou, do you have any spare lunch?”_
> 
> _“My spare lunch is for my dear Kintoki!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I blame D8ONO for the sudden and abrupt lack of comedy in this comedy. Next chapter will bring back the usual comedy. 
> 
> ~~also this totally counts as a pun title~~

“Oh, Surya, what kind of lunch did you bring in today?”

“Merlin you aren’t getting my lunch.”

“Pleeease?”

“No.”

“Raikou, do you have any spare lunch?”

“My spare lunch is for my dear Kintoki!”

The server let out a small sob as both the lunches were locked up away from Merlin’s reach. Raikou had joined part-time at the restaurant during the afternoon, but school being canceled that day allowed her to come in early with Surya. She shadowed her dad normally, occasionally shadowing another part-timer like Cu whenever he was working. Since his schedule was a roulette, it wasn’t good to bet he’d be in that month at any point unless he told Karna ahead of time. That day, however, Surya noticed how his boss seemed more cold-faced than usual. As Raikou prepared to shadow for cooking that day her dad went over to Holmes who was standing solemnly at the register as if he was deep in thought.

“Is everything alright boss?”

Holmes didn’t respond. He was just watching the door intensely. Surya tried again to get his attention. When it appeared his words were going unnoticed, he waved his hand in front of the other man’s face. Holmes blinked and looked over to him in a wild mild surprise that was gone within mere milliseconds. 

“Watson won’t be in today.”

“Huh? That’s strange. I don’t think I’ve ever not seen him here. Is he sick?”

The boss paused and nodded his head, “Yeah, he isn’t doing well today,” a thought seemed to be created in his mind at that moment.

“Would you mind going over to watch him? You’re good at home-cooked meals.”

Surya just stared in surprise. The only times he’d ever been over was for the occasional game night they hosted for the staff. ‘Game Night’ was a light word for it. It was more of everyone getting varying levels of drunkenness and playing games Holmes was way too competitive in. Surya had made a point that he wouldn’t drink more than a few drinks with low alcohol content. He didn’t need Indra to worry even more, and he wasn’t a calm drunk by any means. He could still recall Holmes and Watson drunk arguing during a game of Clue over who the culprit was. It was quite hilarious to see the two being so adamant in who the culprit was and refusing to believe the other’s theory only for both of them to have been wrong with the culprit but not the weapon or the motive. That had been the closest Surya had ever seen Holmes come to crying. 

“Is it bad? Has he gone to the doctor?”

“It’s a chronic kind of thing. Just some stuff from his past getting bad today.”

“But what about the restaurant, there are only two other workers today.”

Holmes waved him off.

“I can call in some part-timers, could you just watch over Watson for the day?”

Surya gave a nod. It was a little weird of Holmes to request, but he felt he had become friends with the former doctor. He trusted his boss to make sure nothing happened to his daughter, and Merlin likely wouldn’t cause much trouble since he hadn’t done much else but gaze at the lunches. The man reached into his pocket and handed Surya a pair of keys. The cook mused silently how it was a little funny how such a serious man had a cute dog charm on his keys. 

“There should be enough in the fridge and cabinets for lunch, give me a heads up when you leave the house so I can close up. Be mindful of Toby.”  
|  
|  
|  
|  
|  
Unlocking the door to the apartment after speaking briefly to the landlady, Surya was met with the medium-sized dog barking at him. The lurcher mutt took a sniff of him before going over to one of the doors and pawing at it. Surya determined that was Watson’s room as he locked the door and walked over to where Toby was whimpering as he pawed at the door. The cook knocked on the door, calling out to see if Watson was awake. It sounded like someone had gotten up from the bed and was walking towards the door.

The bedroom door was cracked open to prevent Toby from entering, his attempts stopped by a leg blocking the opening from the other side. Surya could see the surprise in Watson’s tired eyes, taking a moment to register who was looking back at him. Toby whined again as he tried to get into the room. 

“Why are you in the house?”

“Holmes sent me.”

The former doctor mumbled something under his breath as he nudged Toby out of the way to step out of the room. In Surya’s honest opinion, Watson looked a mess. It was 2 hours to noon and he was still in his pajamas. He looked as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep in the past few days, Surya was worried he might collapse. Toby was nudging his snout into Watson’s hand, trying to get a pet or two from him.

“Are you having a fever? You look-”

“A mess of a human being?”

“I was going to say exhausted, but you don’t look your best.”

The man shrugged. It was strange. He didn’t seem completely there to Surya. He was staring at nothing and responding lucklasterly to Surya’s questions. He wasn’t even paying much attention to Toby’s tries for attention. Watson didn’t fight Surya guiding him towards the couch in the living area where he laid down solemnly. The cook sat down in the chair next to the couch. 

“Is it a cold?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Ah right, Holmes said it was something chronic…”

Surya paused, he thought back to anything the former doctor had mentioned before. 

“Is it something to do with that red fever you had a long time ago?”

“Scarlet fever and I never suffered from that. It was typhoid fever.”

“Is it that then?”

Watson shook his head. Surya brought a hand to his chin. He didn’t look like he was sick, more as if he was simply exhausted. Perhaps it was insomnia? But, something in his gut told him it wasn’t purely that. He asked the tired-looking man if anything was wrong. The man was silent as he stared at the floor. Watson pushed himself up from the couch and went over to a cabinet in the living room. He opened a small box to pull out a key and used the key to unlock a drawer. He pulled something out of it and walked back over to the couch. He laid back down as Surya took the object out of his hands.

It was a framed picture. Watson was with a woman and a dark-haired toddler. Based on the ring on the woman’s picture, Surya assumed she was his wife. Or, that she was formally his wife.

“Did something happen between you and her?”

“You could say that. She died of cancer a couple of years into our marriage.”

“Oh...I’m sorry.”

The man on the couch shook his head. They both knew it was coming and they didn’t expect many years out of the relationship. But they still married and had a child to make the best of it. Surya pursed his lips. He couldn’t recall a single moment Watson had mentioned having a son or daughter though. He started to ask the question, but a pang of guilt hit him as he saw Watson noticeably slump. Surya stopped him from getting back up, asking what the picture looked like to get it from the drawer. Watson told him in a quiet voice it was the one with Holmes. Surya found the picture and brought it over. It was Watson with a dark-haired boy and Holmes with a smaller Toby in his arms. 

“That boy was my son. When I moved back in with Holmes, he helped look after him.”

“He’s a cute kid. A little serious looking for a child, however.”

“Holmes’ fault there.”

There was a stiff silence after that. Surya wasn’t sure if he should push on. Watson never talked about his son for a reason most likely. He hoped it wasn’t what he was thinking. Once the silence cleared, Surya stiffened as that fear overtook him. 

“He was killed today, 4 years ago.”

“Killed? But, he...he doesn’t look older than 7 or 8 here. How long ago was this taken?”

“...4 years.”

Surya didn’t know how to respond. He could feel his hands shaking. He knew the fear of losing a child when they were young. He was terrified for Karna constantly when he was working, hoping he’d still see his son when he came to pick him up. The fear that the daycare would lose him or he would find him dead at home never left his mind as he worked. That later transferred to Arjuna and Raikou. He was absolutely terrified of anything happening to the three of them. Yet, here he was, looking at his friend’s child’s face before he died. It was a horrible feeling that ate away at him. 

“I’m so sorry. That...god, that’s awful.”

He put the frame face down on the end table. He wasn’t sure what to do now. Toby had stopped trying to get Watson’s attention, opting to lay down on the rug where the sun shone through. Surya looked over the kitchen area. He could try something. 

The cook got up and went to the kitchen. Looking through the cabinets and fridge, Surya frowned. Either Holmes and Watson lived off the minimum at all times, or they hadn’t gone shopping in a week or two. There wasn’t much of anything besides precooked foods put away for later. Part of Surya hurt looking at it. This wouldn’t do at all. 

“Watson, is there a store nearby?”

“Down the street, near the bookstore on the left.”

“I’ll be back in a little bit, I’m getting some food for you.”

Surya locked the door behind him and started his way down the stairs. As he opened the door to the outside steps, the landlady stopped him. She had an apron on as she questioned where he was going so early, it was barely noon after all. 

“I’m going out shopping for Watson, he and Holmes barely have anything to cook-” Surya felt a sense of dread as he cut himself short at the look that formed on her face.

“Oh, those two-!”

She marched past him and up the stairs towards the door as Surya followed after her. He tried to calm her down or simply get her attention away from the apartment as she took out her own set of keys and unlocked the door. She swung the door open as Toby started to bark as she stomped over to Watson.

“Dr. Watson!”

“I’m not a doctor anymore-”

“Pish posh! You have an up to date license and you help out the other tenants, better than that old man who claims because he was a doctor and never once got his license updated after only working for two years. Now up and at it, it’s nearly noon and you look a mess.”

Surya watched in silence as the woman shoved the man towards his room and she turned to him. She pointed at him and told him to grab some things from the kitchen downstairs. He decided it was not good to argue with her. He brought up the ingredients in a basket, hearing a shower going as the woman took the basket and head towards the kitchen. She asked how good a cook he was. Surya sheepishly replied he thought he was a decent chef with how many restaurants he worked at. 

The woman- Mrs. Hudson as he learned, had him make a pot of tea at first. It was a very strong tea that she had him set up another pot of water with it in case it was too strong. Then she had him chop of fruit as she juiced the fruit. He made small apple rabbits like Raikou had shown him, the landlady pausing in her juicing to comment on how cute they were. She brought the fruit over to the table with some plain yogurt that was in the fridge as Watson entered the kitchen area in clothes he would wear outside. Mrs. Hudson had Surya start on the hot food as Watson started on his cold starters.

Surya poured in a cup of rolled oats with half a cup of milk and half a cup of water into a pan and brought it slowly to boil. He added a little bit of salt to taste and followed Mrs. Hudson’s instructions to add in golden currants and a bit of sugar to the porridge. Once he deemed it stirred enough, he turned off his part of the stove to bring the pan over to fill a small plate with the porridge. He brought it over to the table with the toast the landlady had toasted as she began to work on what she called the main course. Surya was relegated in cooking the egg, sausage, mushrooms, and the baked beans. He was mainly heating up the sausage and baked beans, Mrs. Hudson saying she didn’t have time to make it fresh this morning. He sautéed mushrooms and cooked the egg sunny side up before handing it over to the woman who put together the dish in full. Half a tomato broiled with cheese on top, thinly sliced ham, potato scones, link sausage, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, an egg, and black pudding. Surya was not a fan of how it was described to him. 

As Watson finished his meal, Mrs. Hudson said she would look after him. Surya protested as he was asked by Holmes to watch the man, but the landlady waved him off saying she looked after them like her own kids at this point so it wasn’t much trouble for her. He attempted to protest again but she stood firm in her decision. He sighed and walked over to tell Watson if he needed something to just call. The man nodded and thanked him for coming over.

 

 

When Surya returned to the restaurant, Holmes had closed up and was waiting outside with Raikou. Raikou ran up and hugged him, sending a spine-chilling feeling through Surya. He suddenly felt like she was 8 years old again, a little kid with wide eyes and smile. He hugged her back, practically engulfing her in his arms. 

“The restaurant is named after him.”

“Huh? Him? You mean-”

Holmes nodded stiffly. Surya gave a sad smile as he hugged his daughter tighter. Once Raikou let go, Holmes gave them a wave goodbye as he left. Taking his daughter’s hand in his, they started to walk home.

“How is Mr. Watson?”

“He’s...dealing with some tough stuff right now. He may need some time before he comes back to work.”

“Are you going to go over again?”

“I’m not sure. If I’m asked I will.”

“Can I come? We could cook something, and I could distract him with school talk. We’re doing health class so he probably knows some stuff.”

“You have school tomorrow, you can’t just skip it.”

Raikou pouted. Surya didn’t blame her upsetness. He had been gone for a few hours when she was supposed to shadow him. He would cook her favorite for dinner to make it up. Once they reached the house, the door flung open to reveal a somewhat panicked Indra. 

“Indra, is something wrong?”

“Uh, no, sorry, just had some paranoia.”

Surya shook his head as Raikou walked in. He kissed his husband on the cheek as he walked in himself. Indra closed the door just as Karna turned a corner.

“Ah, papa-ue, dad was just about to come to get you.”

“Get me? Why? We closed early and I hadn’t called.”

Indra looked away and gave Karna a look to stop talking. He did not take the hint. Karna casually said Indra had driven by earlier and not seen him and got worried. Before he could go on, Arjuna ran into him and dragged him back around the corner mumbling something about homework. Surya raised an eyebrow at Indra who just shrugged. 

“Teens are just weird.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This feels really out of place, to be honest, but it's too late now.


End file.
